FINALLY! FRANZ HAVE RETURNED!
And they’re making new music too!
For us Franz Ferdinand fans, it’s a very exciting time indeed – and well overdue. But for those of us who were already attending The Hives on the evening of the 6th when their gig was announced for the same night, disappointment was definitely the word on our lips. But glory to MySpace! A free “secret” show was announced to put us out of our misery! Although only 100 of us, leaving hundreds more to enjoy more disappointment (again). Such disappointment, I’m afraid, will be justified after you read the following review. And on that note…
As I walked into the venue after a long day of waiting, Franz had already begun the splendid “Walk Away” to a tiny crowd dwarfed even more so by the relative size of the venue, mesmerised by the fact that they were THAT close to one of their favourite bands. Although, just like when I went to the Presets gig at the Apple store last year, it seemed that the majority of the people who had lined up all day, didn’t really know much of the music, and Alex and co. definitely hadn’t come on to play a greatest hits set.
Instead, they mixed up 4 songs from their first two albums, with 2 new tracks (including the latest single “Ulysses”) as well as a special treat: the rarely played “Shopping for Blood” from their first EP, “Darts of Pleasure” in 2003. When the request was yelled out, Alex, taken aback, thought “why the hell not!” and asked the band if they remembered how to play it. Despite admitting they had forgotten a few of the chords along the way, the song came out beautifully and was a huge treat for those of us who had been following the band from the beginning.
After playing an impressive new song in the form of “What She Came For”, they asked for another request, and in the midst of 100 voices screaming out their favourite song, “Michael” was the voice they heard, and you couldn’t keep the smiles off the faces of the crowd, nor the band, from that point on. Alex Kapranos in particular seemed to be loving the experience, having to be literally dragged off stage by their manager to be silenced! Indeed it seemed even the band realised how special a performance this was.
Before they closed the set with the new single, Alex took his enthusiasm to an even higher unexpected level: inviting members of the audience who knew “Dark of the Matinee” to join the band on stage. Myself included, a dozen or so members of the crowd happily obliged, getting to shake hands with the band, jump around with Alex and Nick (or, rather, crash into the latter), and indeed, sing along into Nick’s microphone.
This was a gig with quality I don’t think any of us expected, especially when the set time was only half an hour. Personally I was just expecting new songs with a hit or two thrown in to keep us happy. But Alex was so friendly and down-to-earth about the whole thing, it really blew my mind.
A very very very special gig, and I’m sorry to have to say that to the aforementioned disappointed fans. Here’s hoping for a next time!
